Head teacher's appraisal competence and teacher performance in private secondary schools in Busiro County, Wakiso District, Uganda

Teacher appraisal has also become widely recognised as a key process by which school leadership influences the quality of instruction and professional responsibility. This paper has explored the connection between teacher performance and the appraisal competence of the head teachers in the private secondary schools in the Busiro County, Wakiso District, Uganda. The cross-sectional mixed-methods design was used in gathering data collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 198 teachers, and semi-structured interviews conducted with eight head teachers. The quantitative data were analysed using simple linear regression while the qualitative data analysis was done through thematic analysis. The data showed that the overall teacher appraisal competence was moderately rated (M = 3.399, SD = 0.706), with highest appraisal rating in discipline management among students (M = 4.060) and lowest rating in curriculum compliance appraisal (M = 2.904). Regression analysis indicated that there is statistically significant positive correlation between head teacher appraisal competence and teacher performance (r =.586, R2 =.344, F = 102.656, p =.001, B =.580). This null hypothesis was thus rejected. These results confirm the fact that properly designed and frequent systems of appraisal have a direct positive impact on teacher performance in the private schools. The research suggests that the head teachers should adopt open-ended, development-focused appraisal systems, especially focusing on monitoring curriculum compliance and adopting peer appraisal models to facilitate professional growth.